The invention generally relates to a rotary piston engine. More particularly, the invention relates to a rotary piston engine that includes an air chamber for storing pressurized air that is routed into a separate combustion chamber for ignition purposes. The engine includes a housing that surrounds at least one rotor coupled to a piston for driving a shaft that may be coupled to a drive assembly for harnessing rotational energy produced by the rotor. A movable valve door provides a base against which expanding gases react to force the piston in a forward direction. The valve door is drawn away from the shaft to allow the piston to pass-by to complete a revolution.
Internal combustion engines are typically referred to as either a reciprocating piston engine or a rotary piston engine. Reciprocating piston engines use crank gears to translate movement of pistons into a rotary motion. The use of crank gears in a rotary piston engine is unnecessary since the piston performs a rotary motion during operation.
The most popular rotary engine, the Wankle rotary engine, includes a piston having a cross-section similar to a triangle and rotates in a uniquely shaped cylinder. Because of the unique shape of the cylinder, it encounters sealing problems that result in high fuel consumption. Most known rotary piston engines are complex and require high production and maintenance costs.
It should be noted that the discussion of the rotary engine in the present invention is not limited to internal combustion engines. The present invention may be modified to be powered by air, geothermal energy or the like.